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Thursday, 22 January 2015

HOW I IMPROVED MY SKIN

Last year, if I had posted a no-makeup selfie and blown it up for the whole internet to see, I'd probably be bashing my head into a wall right now. Oh and excuse the ratchet eyebrows.

I've complained about my skin so often on this blog that I've even created a label for it called 'acne'. Yup. I've always been obsessed with finding the latest 'acne-fighting' products and 5 months later, majority of them have finally cleared and it's definitely got to do with a few changes I've made in my routine. I'll be honest, having these photos on the internet is a bit unsettling... BUT we're best friends now right? I hope this will help those of you who struggle with the same problems as well.

MY ACNE STORY

My skin's always been sensitive and acne-prone (one or two spots), but last year, it was as if the devil himself summoned the worst spots imaginable. My cheek and forehead were congested and exploded with black heads, stubborn whiteheads and plenty of painful cysts. They were sore, red and strangely focussed at the bottom of my right cheek (and that's not the side I sleep on). My usual Clean&Clear acne treatment wasn't working and it got so bad that my own family would make comments like, 'whoa your skin is really bad!' (thanks dad), or 'why don't you try getting a facial?' But, I didn't want to resort to prescription meds because I've heard about the nasty side effects.

WHAT I DID

I cut out dairy:

I'd heard about the links between dairy and acne but I didn't think it affected me because I'd been eating dairy my whole life. But after a week of stress-eating my favorite foods (I used to eat cheese with EVERYTHING, including rice) and my skin was getting worse, I decided to largely cut it out of my diet. That meant, no cheese, ice cream and... bubble tea. Sure, it really SUCKS not having your favorite foods, but it worked. I started getting less breakouts.

I stopped squeezing whiteheads...

But...I squeezed out the blackheads:

Gurl say what?! But hear me out. The blackheads on my forehead were surprisingly easy to get rid of. A little squeeze and all the gunk would come out like stringy cheese (excuse the imagery). After everything was squeezed out, the blackhead was gone and my forehead and the pores looked clearer. The products I used could penetrate easier too (is that a good enough reason to use the word penetrate?) So while squeezing is usually the worst advice, in my case, I think it really helped in decongesting my forehead.

I stuck to a consistent skincare routine:

Funnily enough, just before the breakout incident, I was trialling a whole bunch of skincare products at once. No wonder my skin was going cray. Once I stuck to the products I trusted, my skin started clearing up a whole lot faster.

I wore less foundation:

I hardly wear makeup on weekdays now, and only on Sundays. My skin can breathe, and it feels GREAT.

I bought the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo:

Desperate times called for desperate measures, so I caved and got the famous Effaclar Duo that apparently works miracles. And after 5 months of religious use, it really did work miracles for me. The photos below speak for themselves, and I now swear by this stuff. Who knew the internet would save my life, I mean, skin?

THE JOURNEY: BEFORE AND AFTER

Pretty gross huh? But, I'm really happy with how my skin is looking recently. I still get one or two spots (usually around that time) but they heal relatively quicker and with less scarring, thanks to the Effaclar Duo. Seriously, best $30 I've ever spent. I actually feel more confident in walking out of the house bare-faced now!

So uh, has our relationship progressed now that you've seen it all? *wink*

If you struggle with acne, or are working towards clearing it, I'd love to know!